Gigadimension Neptunia: World At War
by IncompetentGuy
Summary: With the rise of the cult of Arfoire, shares drop to an all-time low, warlords rise, and Gamindustri is plunged into an all-out war. Planeptune, Lastation, Leanbox, Lowee and Perocom are the nations in which all eyes look toward to reunite Gamindustri and bring an end to the Great Console War of the Gigadimension's Gamindustri. A Total War novelization, set in a Neptunia context.
1. Prologue

"NOOOIRE!" Neptune burst into the Lastation CPU's room (startling the raven-haired girl in question), carrying what looked to be a disc.

"WHAT IS IT?" Noire yelled, irritated at the Planeptune CPU's interruption of her "relaxation time" (whatever that was)...until she saw the other CPUs, Vert and Blanc, plus the CPU candidates, Nepgear, Uni, Rom and Ram, and even IF and Compa standing at the door.

"...Why are you all here?"

"Well..." Neptune showed her the disc she was holding. "This...fell from the sky."

"...What? And you just took it with you? What if it was a monster disc or something?!" Noire questioned, snatching the disc from Neptune's hands. On the disc, written carefully in permanent marker, said,

"_The Great Console War_

_For the CPUs of the dimension this reaches"_

"...What is this?"

"Well, first of all, with writing like that, the chances of this being a monster-spawning disc are very low, so stop being paranoid, Noire." Blanc said. "Second, this thing interested _Histoire, _for some reason, and she insisted that we find out just what this disc contains, before going off to do goddess knows what."

"And you used that as an excuse to barge into my room like you're some special police force?" The Lastation CPU snapped.

"Oh come on, quit complaining, Noire!" Neptune said, energetic (and quite frankly, slightly annoying) as always. "You get to hang out with us!"

"Ahem."

The sound of Histoire clearing her throat spun the CPUs heads right toward the door where she stood. "Well," The Oracle began. "I've been talking to...the other versions of myself, trying to verify the origins and contents of that disc."

"So is it safe?" Neptune asked, excited.

"...Yes, but..."

Immediately eyebrows were raised and heads tilted at that last "but" Histoire had added in. "...I'm not going to stop you, but that disc is about another version of Gamindustri, a version we'll call the Gigadimension. It's...well..." She sighed. "Go ahead and watch if you want to find out, but be warned that the Gamindustri you're about to see is _very different _from ours and the Ultradimension, and unfortunately, not in a good way."

She left, and Noire's room was filled with silence.

Until, of course, Neptune broke it. "Well then...why don't we pop it in the player and find out just what about the Gamindustri in this disc is so dark and depressing?"

"W-wait! I did _not _ask to get roped into this!" Noire protested, but it was too late.

* * *

The screen flickered on, revealing three people sitting in front of the viewers - a young-looking purple-haired woman, who tied up her hair into a long ponytail, a raven-haired girl who let her own long hair down, and between the two, Histoire - or rather, their version of Histoire.

"Those two girls look a bit like Neptune and Noire..." Vert noted.

"To anyone watching right now, hello." The purple-haired woman began. "My name is Maria, and I'm the CPU of Planeptune in our dimension."

"Aww..." Neptune pouted. "I was hoping it'd be older me or something!"

"I am Kurie, CPU of our dimension's Lastastion." The black-haired girl continued.

"And I'm Histoire, the Lorekeeper of the Gigadimension's Gamindustri."

"You might be wondering right now, what the purpose of us recording this is." Maria said. "Well...perhaps, this Console War in your dimension was simply a petty conflict between four goddesses. Or, it may not even have occurred at all. You might have enjoyed peace and prosperity all the while, or perhaps the hidden threat you fought did not involve thousands of people in the battle. Ours...was nothing like that."

"We made this," Kurie continued. "As a way to document the events of our war. For although no one wants to remember it, we feel that it is necessary, so that the CPUs of other dimensions see the true consequences of large-scale conflicts like ours, and take steps to prevent their own war. No one should have to experience what we went through."

"This disc you are watching right now? What it is about to show was the Great Console War of Gamindustri." Maria went on. "This was a war that took away hundreds of thousands of people, caused unimaginable loss and destruction, and resulted in the annilhation of one of our major nations."

"This was Total War."

* * *

**Spring, 0AGCW**

Mainland Gamindustri was a large landmass with the 4 major nations split evenly on 4 sides: Planeptune to the East, Lastation down South, Leanbox over West, and Lowee was up North.

There was also a landmass off the north-west coast, a large, prosperous island nation known as Perocom.

But let's not bother with that right now. What matters, is that inside the Basilicom of Planeptune's capital, Sena, a very important meeting was taking place...

* * *

"First of all, let's reassess our situation and that of Gamindustri's." Maria said to the other 3 CPUs sitting around the table.

"A new faction known as the Cult of Arfoire has surfaced, worshipping the so-called goddess in their namesake. They've been extorting our shares, converting people to their cause, and even raiding some of our trade routes and settlements. Worse still, Histoire, the Lorekeeper, has informed me that they intend to summon Arfoire herself, which could spell disaster for Gamindustri if they succeed. Therefore, we should identify them as our most important threat.

Unfortunately, we can't deal with them right now. Our loss of shares have caused the public's faith in us to waver, so much that we are now seeing many, _many _smaller factions rising up, claiming lands and challenging our power. Our nations have been fractured.

Then there's Perocom off the north-west coast. I don't know what they're planning, but knowing them, the chances of their PC Legion invading us is uncomfortably high. Granted, they do have their own rebellions to deal with as well, but once they quell those they might set their sights on the divided mainland. We need Leanbox and Lowee to prepare their own army just in case they do indeed-"

"And that's it?!" Midori, the CPU of Leanbox stood up in outrage. "We're just supposed to take the fall trying to deal with Perocom's might while you solve your own problems and rebuild in peace? What about our own divide? Huh?"

"Look, Midori," Maria replied hastily. "We can just send reinforcements over there in case Perocom does land over here, and-"

"And how do you intend to do that?" Shiro, Lowee's CPU, interjected. "Our territories have been cut off by all these minor factions."

"You're not helping, Shiro!"

"Sorry, Mars, but even then," Kurie added. "How many reinforcements would we even send? This is a conflict we never could have seen coming. We've only just mustered up what's left of our military, and they're already stretched thin as is. None of us can afford to help each other out at this point."

Maria sighed, leaning back in her chair dejectedly. "So...what now? Do we all just fend for ourselves?"

The CPUs exchanged uncomfortable looks, before Shiro spoke up. "Yes, it would appear so. We'll have to fight."

Midori made to leave. "I have to go now. My people need me." Without another word, she left. Maria watched her leave, before turning her eyes towards Shiro.

"I'm afraid I'll have to do the same. As much as I want to keep you guys afloat, I have to protect my own nation first. Goodbye." The Lowee CPU said, leaving as well.

An uncomfortable silence filled the meeting room after that, with the two remaining participants - Maria and Kurie - staring at each other.

"Kurie..." Maria started, but the Lastation CPU cut her off.

"I'm sorry, Mars, but it's true. It's every nation for themselves now. You can't save others if you don't save yourself first. It's the truth, Mars." Kurie said sadly. "...I'll be going back to Lastation now. Goodbye."

* * *

Maria sighed, flopping herself down on her bed, oblivious to the petite purple-haired girl standing at her door a few minutes later.

"...Maria?"

"Oh!" The CPU immediately sat up upon hearing the familiar voice. At her door now stood her younger sister and Planeptune's CPU Candidate, Phoebe.

Taking note of her sister's frown, Phoebe sat down beside her. "I...heard about the meeting. What happens now?"

Silence.

"Everyone's fighting for themselves now, including us. Kurie, Midori and Shiro all have their own problems to deal with, and I've got mine." Maria explained. "Gamindustri's in chaos, Phoebe. It's...honestly all surreal."

"C-can I do anything to help?" The CPU Candidate asked meekly.

Maria sighed. "Look, Phoebe, I know you really care about Planeptune, but I can't have you out there risking your own life just yet-"

"I insist."

Slightly surprised at her younger sister's determination, Maria sighed, then stood up. "Fine, then, follow me."

Phoebe followed. "Where are we going?" She asked.

Simply put, they were going to do the only thing they could do at that point. It was something that most in Planeptune, Lastation, Leanbox, Lowee and even Perocom had to do, and would do.

They made ready for war.

* * *

**Changelog 6/9/2019: Changed a part relating to nation cultures in the A/N below.**

* * *

**Greetings! I am IncompetentGuy, the blue-eyed Grimmbat and self-proclaimed fanfiction writer extraordinaire, at your service.**

**So, this was an idea I had not too long ago, when I started playing HDN. I was already a fan of Total War since then, and I actually wrote the second half of this chapter riding high off my first ever victory in Total War: Shogun 2 (Date, Normal, Long).**

**Things to clear out of the way first:**

**\- Yes, I am fully aware that a "Total War series" category exists. Yes, I am aware that I did not put this fic as a crossover with that, but rather as a simple HDN fanfic. The reasons are: because while Gigadimension Neptunia: Total War takes inspiration from Total War for it's general plot and some events, that's it - not enough to warrant an actual crossover. Also because it would be more popular this way. Hey, I get to be selfish every now and then!**

**\- As you can probably tell by the "Gigadimension" part of the name, this fic is it's own separate dimension - an AU, if you would. It's why the geography is different, the characters are different, and basically a lot of other stuff is also different.**

**\- Perocom is basically PC Continent.**

**\- Heads up: Gamindustri's major nations are actually based off of several different historical cultures, to each their own. Originally I meant for mainland Gamindustri to have 1 central culture and Perocom to have their own, but I found this way to be better. **

**Essentially, Planeptune is like a Samurai clan, Lastation is a Desert Kingdom, Leanbox is a barbarian/viking kingdom, Lowee is a medieval kingdom, and Perocom is based off the Roman empire.**

**The 5 major nations details, traits, major characters and opening moves will be documented in the next 3 chapters.**

**Stay tuned, and I hope this prologue was good enough to hype you up!**


	2. Shattered Skies and Sandstorms

_**"The objective of war is not to die for your own country, but to make the other bastard die for his."**_

_**-George S. Patton**_

* * *

I'd visit other dimensions sometimes, when there wasn't anything major going on in the Gigadimension - that's here, as I call it. I remember visiting this one dimension - Hyperdimension, I called it - where everything was so peaceful, so high-tech. The "Console War" there, was, ah, a simple competition for popularity.

It's mostly the same with the other dimensions I visited. Perhaps their "Console Wars" may previously have warranted actual fighting, but no more. They were all similar in that there was no perpetual cycle of war and peace, only the latter.

Which made me wonder: Where did we go wrong in creating the Gigadimension?

...Oh, excuse me. I was rambling.

* * *

**March, Year 0**

Planeptune was located in the eastern reaches of Gamindustri. After the divide, its 2 remaining own territories lay adjacent to each other - it's capital, Sena, connecting to the still Planeptune-owned Havon inland to the west, to Scion in the south and to Xover on the east coast - the latter two owned by the faction referring to themselves as "Fannet", whom Planeptune were at war with.

Looking into the culture of Planeptune and it's lands, one might compare them to feudal Japan. Indeed, the nation adopted a rather samurai-like culture, one that has long been maintained throughout its relatively turbulent history. It is, in fact, one of the oldest nations in Gamindustri, the only other nation matching its age being Lowee.

Though, Planeptune has long been known as the "Land of Purple Progression", and for very good reason. Planeptunians were innovators, those who paved the way to new technologies before any other nation could.

* * *

**Planeptune**

\+ **Abundant, powerful gun units**

**\+ Respectable melee infantry**

**\+ Decent navy**

**\- Lacklustre cavalry**

**\- Archers are few and far in between, especially later on**

* * *

Their leader and CPU, Maria, or more commonly known to her people as "Violet Heart", was, if not a skilled warrior of the katana, then a master diplomat. Her cool head, intellect and easy-going personality make the Planeptune CPU a very pleasant person to speak to, and when transformed, she exuded a certain type of confidence and charisma that empowered her people onward.

* * *

**Maria**

**Commander class: General**

**Command: 3/8**

**Traits:**

**\- Inspiring: 1 morale to all units under her command**

**\- Gunmaster: 5 accuracy to all gunpowder units**

**\- CPU: If defeated in battle or assassinated, this character does not die - instead, they "respawn" at their faction's capital, losing 1 command star, and unable to move out of the capital for 3 turns (3 months). However, unless the capital is sieged and taken by the enemy while the CPU character is recovering, this character cannot truly be killed.**

* * *

Some say her blade even commands fire, though no one has even seen this in action. Maria herself hasn't made any comments on her supposed power, though she once joked that she would refrain from using such an ability unless she was ignorant of, or rather sure of the lack of, collateral damage.

Nevertheless, as the divide has shown, however, words can fail. When diplomacy ceases to work, in its place is war.

And damned be those enemies who were not expecting a fight from the Planeptunians.

The first practical use of gunpowder was in Planeptune, and since then their advancements towards guns have been swift for the Planeptunians. Now, guns have become an almost complete replacement for bows, with only a few traditionalist groups such as the warrior monks remaining loyal to the bow and arrow.

Moreover, the military of Planeptune were much less dependent on their gear than others - whereas all other nations employed frequent use of shields in combat, this was not the case for the ashigaru and samurai of Planeptune. Consequently, they became arguably the most skilled in all Gamindustri, to make up for their inferior defensive equipment.

Such mastery makes a valuable asset for the CPU of Planeptune to reunite her nation, and by extension all of Gamindustri.

* * *

**Sena, Planeptune's Capital**

So what does Maria do with such advantages, you ask?

Let's imagine the beginning of the Great Console War, as a game of chess. The opening move is quite important, you see. It sets the pace for the rest of the match, it defines your playstyle, and the correct opening move can catch your opponent off guard and score you an early, if minor, victory.

"Alright, everyone, here's what we're going to do." Maria said to everyone gathered around the strategy meeting table, among them her younger sister, Phoebe, who was also a rookie commander. "Our first, and currently only enemy are the Fannet faction to our south, in Scion, and Xover, to our east. Scion is their capital, but they made the mistake of leaving it practically undefended as they marched to Xover. Their forces are not particularly strong, so I reckon a good army can defeat their general's own in a battle.

So, I'm going to take this 'good army' and head east, where either me and them will cross paths on the path between Sena and Xover, or we reach the city, and we start besieging the city until they surrender or get destroyed.

Meanwhile, Phoebe here," She gestured to her younger sister, who smiled meekly. "is going to head south, with a smaller army, and reclaim Scion. Simple. Any objections?"

There were none.

* * *

Sena wasn't a particularly big province, nor were the provinces surrounding it. Still, it took Maria's army a month to reach Xover, to find a garrison that was a few units short of her own army's size, and damaged from the resistance of both Xover's citizens and remaining loyal soldiers.

So Maria ordered the quick construction of a couple trebuchets (they had neither the time nor money to bring in cannons from Sena), and a battering ram, intent on breaking into the city quickly and clearing the Fannet army. She'd find, however, that she would have no need for the latter.

"Lady Violet Heart!" One of her scouts came rushing into her tent one day. "I just spotted the enemy garrison heading towards us! Looks to be almost a thousand troops, ma'am!"

"...I see." Maria sighed, grabbing her katana. "Get the troops ready, then."

Even if this was war, Maria still liked to try and resolve conflicts with as few casualties as possible, as she knew how much of a pacifist her younger sister was and wouldn't particularly like it if every battle she fought ended in a massacre.. Furthermore, she understood the importance of morale, and the many factors that could affect it, both positively, and negatively.

_"Perhaps the best way to win a battle isn't to kill all your enemies," _She thought. "_but simply to make them stop fighting._

_...I like that approach."_

* * *

**Battle of Xover**

**June, Year 0**

* * *

**Allied alliance: Planeptune**

**Commanders: Maria (General/Command: 3)**

**Deployed: 1280**

* * *

**Enemy alliance: Fannet**

**Commanders: Grimmie (Vanguard/Command: 1)**

**Deployed: 941**

* * *

The musket ashigaru stood as 4 units, hidden in the forests to the side of the deployed main army. Maria knew about the element of surprise, and found that a couple hundred bullets flying at you from what seemed to be nowhere could easily make you rout.

The yari ashigaru, 5 units in number stood in front, their spears pointed ahead, forming a yari wall. Behind them stood a unit of katana samurai, and Maria herself. Even further back were a unit of cavalry, and the recently finished trebuchets, ready to fire.

Perhaps a good speech would be prudent to warm up her people.

"Men and women of Planeptune!" Maria began. "You stand here now, at our first step to reclaiming what is ours, reuniting our nation under our banner, and returning peace to all of Gamindustri! I, Violet Heart, have long sworn to protect Planeptune for as long as it stands, and now duty calls for me to face our enemies the Fannet rebels! I expect you to do the same!"

The cheers of the Planeptunian army rang through the summer sky.

"The Fannet faction think themselves arbiters of truth, and every fact that isn't theirs is branded a lie. They challenge us, seeking to discredit and dishonour us. A challenge we will, of course, accept! What say you, soldiers? Shall we show them the truth?"

More cheers. One could even hear the musket ashigaru, hidden as they were in the forests. It wasn't long before the army of blue - oddly a similar color to Planeptune's purple - appeared on the horizon, led, of course, by their commander, a rather delusional woman named Grimmie. Taking her monoculars out, Maria swiftly scoped out her enemies.

4 units of yari ashigaru. 2 units of bow ashigaru. 1 unit of light cavalry. And of course, their commander.

"Ready!"

Her own musket ashigaru standing at the front of their formations pointed their guns at their soon-to-be-fallen enemies. But they did not fire yet. The enemy army marched ever closer, before stopping a long distance from her own. Their bow ashigaru raised their bows to the sky and-

"FIRE!"

The sounds of hundreds of guns firing into the enemy shattered the unsettling silence of Xover's outskirts. The musket ashigaru in front crouched as they reloaded, allowing the ones behind them to lower their own guns and shoot - an effective tactic known as firing in ranks. And of course, it worked. The enemy ashigaru either fell to the hail of gunfire, or ran - away, or towards the musket ashigaru, whose locations had been revealed thanks to the flashes of fire.

Maria had to think fast. Could she risk allowing the enemy infantry to reach her guns in exchange for another morale-destroying volley of bullets?

She swiftly resized up the enemy army. 300 men and women were gone, either dead or routed. Another shot volley would likely bring the whole bunch of yari ashigaru down. Except there was a better, safer way to achieve just that, while also dealing with the enemy bow ashigaru.

Maria called for the Planeptunian musket ashigaru to fall back, and her own yari ashigaru and katana samurai to charge towards the wavering enemy. The CPU of Planeptune would have noticed more soldiers faltering and running away just from the sight of her own army charging, but she didn't. Because Violet Heart had joined the fight.

Any soldier who lived through that battle would have a vivid recollection of a woman in a black-and-purple kimono

Going HDD wasn't really necessary, but Maria wanted the battle over with as soon as possible.

Leading the charge as bullets, arrows and battle cries filled the air, Maria and her troops clashed - rather favorably - with the enemy. Except Maria wasn't aiming for the ashigaru - instead, she dashed through the crowd of yari-wielders, searching for her target, whose fall would almost doubtlessly trigger a mass rout.

It wasn't long before Maria spotted Grimmie, cutting a swathe through the Planeptunian army. The Fannet commander barely managed to spot and parry her, though the CPU managed a cut on her opponent's shoulder. Minor damage to a Maker, but every bit helps in a duel, especially when said damage was also a burn - Maria had the astonishing ability to cut great slashes of seemingly magical fire. The troops around them parted, forming a rough, small circle around the two commanders, whilst continuing to battle amongst themselves.

"Why are you doing this?" Maria asked. "We could have used your help in protecting Planeptune and helping reunite Gamindustri. Why did you turn against us?"

"Why?" Grimmie scowled, holding up her katana. "Because we saw through your lies. It was what caused your shares to drop, wasn't it? So many people, finally knowing that all you have said was deceit. The people need someone who will show them the truth - the truth of the future! You, meanwhile, abandoned the bow and arrow because you thought that success with guns would quell the dishonor brought from using them, for example!"

_"Ironically, that's bullshit." _The Planeptunian CPU thought. "Look. First of all, I'm the _CPU _of Planeptune for goddess' sake, why would I trick my people? Second, what's wrong with guns, anyway?

But third - look around you. You're losing this fight. I don't want anyone else to die from such a pointless conflict. Please, lay down your weapons, and just give me this decisive victory. We can work this out."

"No!"

Maria grimaced as she parried the incoming overhead slash, putting her left hand on the flat of her katana's blade, and indirectly shoving her opponent backwards. She quickly transitioned into a flurry of cuts and slashes, the attacks slowly becoming faster, and stronger.

Eventually, Grimmie stumbled backwards, planting her left foot on the ground to steady herself - yet, weakened by Maria's assault, failed to bring up her katana to block a great horizontal slash from the CPU-

And then, in front of both Planeptunian and Fannet eyes, the leader of the Fannet faction fell, signifying the beginning of the end of Planeptune's first minor war.

One unit began to run away. Then another. Soon the entire Fannet army was in retreat. The Planeptunian men and women on the battlefield began to cheer at their departure, among them Maria, who had just deactivated HDD form and joined her people in celebrating their victory that evening.

* * *

**Decisive Victory**

**Battle of Xover**

**June, Year 0**

* * *

**Allied alliance**

**Planeptune:**

**Deployed: 1280**

**Lost:284**

* * *

**Enemy alliance**

**Fannet:**

**Deployed:941**

**Lost:593**

* * *

The shattered remains of the Xover garrison quickly surrendered, and soon the city was back in Planeptunian hands.

What about Scion, and Phoebe, you ask? Well, the CPU Candiate's army took a bit longer to arrive at their destination than Maria's did - which turned out to be a blessing. The people of Scion, upon hearing news of the Planeptunian victory at Xover, seemed to have reignited a fire within them - the population were mostly still Planeptunian loyalists, after all - and rebelled. The already feeble Fannet army garrisoned there were shaken, and the remaining Fannet soldiers fled north - into their demise.

The battle that ensued afterwards provided an excellent warm-up for Phoebe indeed.

* * *

**Battle of Scion Fields**

**July, Year 0**

* * *

**Allied alliance: ****Planeptune**

**Commanders: Phoebe (Duelist/Command: 1)**

**Deployed: 801**

* * *

**Enemy alliance: ****Fannet**

**Commanders: None**

**Deployed: 361**

* * *

_I remember the first time I saw someone die in battle. Three arrows in his chest. Yari Ashigaru. Two of his fellow soldiers were dragging his dying body back to safety, but it was far too late to save him._

_I'd ran over to him. He was breathing heavily, bleeding profusely from the three spots he'd been shot in. I remember he looked at me, smiled, and then stopped breathing._

_I don't remember his name, but he looked to be in his mid-twenties._

_Knowing this, somehow, both terrified me and infuriated me. I knew for a fact that this young man wasn't going to be the first to have over half his life taken away by the cruel grip of Death. I also thought that this was what would happen to everyone if I failed. And that made me want to fight._

_For the first time in my life, I didn't regret holding my naginata in my hand._

_\- Phoebe_

* * *

**Decisive Victory**

**Battle of Scion Fields**

**July, Year 0**

* * *

**Allied alliance:**

**Planeptune:**

**Deployed: 801**

**Lost: 117**

* * *

**Enemy alliance:**

**Fannet:**

**Deployed: 361**

**Lost: 185**

* * *

Unsurprisingly, when Phoebe's army marched into the city of Scion in **August**, they were welcomed - quite enthusiastically - by it's citizens and rebels.

The Fannet were crushed, and Planeptune had taken its first step toward reunification. Now, the question was: where to go next? To their west and north were the Activators and the seperatists of old Frostland, the latter a vassal of the former. They presented a threat not only to them, but also to Lowee further north. Surely they were eyeing Planeptune's returning riches now.

Then there was the island of Sureal, off the east coast, where the new faction of Epica resided. They would likely strike mainland in order to establish their own economy, and eliminate what was presumably their greatest threat at the time: Planeptune.

Maria's decision was made for her when a messenger arrived, bearing a worrying bit of news: Frostland's army was trespassing on the northern border of Sena. The people were enraged at their raiding, looting and stealing from them, and demanded that the Planeptunian army intervene.

"Everything's descending into chaos." Maria confided in Phoebe after the meeting discussing their response to Frostland's supposed invasion. "It's unprecedented. And with so many people looking towards me to protect Planeptune, it feels like...it's so much pressure. I care a lot for our people, but I'm...actually kinda scared. One bad move, and our nation goes down."

Phoebe looked down, trying to find an answer to cheer up her older sister. "But...we're a CPU nation, right? None of the others we're at war with are. Besides...I just know for sure you'll get us out of this, Mars."

The CPU of Planeptune finally cracked a smile. "Yeah. Glad to hear that."

Sooner or later, Maria knew, Planeptune would finally be able to repair their shattered skies.

* * *

Of course, Planeptune wasn't the only CPU nation facing a crisis. To move on to our second nation, let's first rewind time...

**March, Year 0**

...and buckle ourselves in for another history lesson.

Lastation was, while much greener than, say, the likes of the real world Sassanid Empire or Ottoman Empire (by Goddess I can never understand your naming conventions), it was still a desert kingdom. A coastal desert kingdom, if you will. The nation was the third oldest of the 4 mainland nations, being founded a while after Planeptune. Known as the land of Black Regality, the Lastation people, though born from the desert, are one of the most cultured and well educated. Their moderators, in particular, were well versed in the law, in counterspying, and _convincing._

Yet, of course, they were still desert people at heart, and they made quite _excellent _warriors indeed. Their swords and shields were the finest in all Gamindustri.

* * *

**Lastation**

**The best sword infantry in all Gamindustri**

**\+ Decent cavalry**

**\+ Superior moderators**

**\+ Immune to desert attrition**

**\- Mediocre missile infantry**

**\- Units do not have much armor**

**\- Horrendous navy (No offense, but unfortunately it's the truth.)**

* * *

Kurie, Lastation's CPU with a Divine Name of "Dark Heart", possessed a competitive spirit, strategic know-how, and a healthy sense of skepticism. Some have said that she can be a bit brutal in battle, a theory supported by her fighting style - Kurie employed the use of a longsword and crooked, pick-like dagger, resembling the weaponry of a certain group of watchers. However, Kurie is otherwise a determined, sensitive individual, and some people (mostly Maria) have compared her to a tsundere.

* * *

**Kurie**

**Commander class: Duelist**

**Command: 3/8**

**Traits:**

**\- Melee Specialist: 2 melee attack and defense to all melee infantry under this character's command**

**\- Vigilant: -5% chance of being assassinated**

**\- CPU: If defeated in battle or assassinated, this character does not die - instead, they "respawn" at their faction's capital, losing 1 command star, and unable to move out of the capital for 3 turns (3 months). However, unless the capital is sieged and taken by the enemy while the CPU character is recovering, this character cannot truly be killed.**

* * *

Not only being home to the best melee combatants in Gamindustri, but Lastation's lands also had a very intriguing natural occurrence. Despite being essentially a desert region, Lastation was subject to many storms - same rain, more thunder and lightning. In a city, or out on the desert, a Lastation native could see storm clouds gathering, and rain drops start to fall and wetten the sand beneath their feet, and not be surprised.

An ironic and humorous phenomenon in an otherwise dry land.

The more important aspect of these storms were the lightning. Lastationians were as prone to being struck by lightning and dying like any other human, but there was something about them that seemed to _invigorate _them whenever that didn't happen. To a Lastationian soldier, lightning was nature's drums, pushing them onward to victory. Add to that the fact that Kurie somehow integrated electricity to her attacks, and the sound of thunder and flash of lightning would end up encouraging a Lastation army instead of scaring them.

Traits like these help Kurie and her people greatly in weathering the sandstorm that approached their nation...

* * *

Unfortunately, what they made up for with combat prowess was morale. Lastationians were not the most strong-willed. So when news of the divide reached the Lastation capital, people panicked - and some rebelled against Kurie, a repercussion of the massive drop in Shares. However, these rebels were unlike the emergent factions in that they lacked a true sense of purpose or direction. People too scared to face the reality that Gamindustri was crumbling.

Kurie had hoped it would stay that way so that she could talk them down. Unfortunately, this was not to be. The faction known as Betha swooped in and convinced this rebel group to join their cause, and now they were fleeing north. Kurie had no choice to subdue them before they could defect to the one faction that Lastation were at war with - at least, at the time.

Which reminds me - an introduction on the geography of Lastation is in order.

Lastation's 2 remaining post-divide provinces, Koni and Sumi were on the far south of the continent - the former being the nation's capital, and the latter a developed port city, south of the former. Though, there was a small part of Koni that bordered the coast west of Sumi. This particular area was home to a relatively powerful naval defense - a line of defense that protected their commercial hub from western threats. Perocom was always a present threat, and even before the Great Console War began, Lastation and Leanbox were not on particularly good terms with each other. The relations between the two had improved over the years thanks in no small part to Maria, but now...

Kurie sighed as she thought about it. Perhaps she was being a bit too paranoid, but in war, one is hardly sure of whom to truly trust.

No matter. She had already drawn up her simple battle plan: march north, defeat the rebels before they can flee to the Outer Falls, then head north to the aforementioned province and crush the Betha before they can grow any further. Her scouts said they'd already taken the Inner Falls, so the Lastationian army had to make haste.

Of course, she was not alone. Her younger sister and CPU Candidate, Vivi, was though new to a real battlefield, she was one of Lastation's top archers. Not only that, she made viable one tactic for after Betha was defeated - rushing up north-east to reestablish a connection with Planeptune.

Mirroring their sisters Maria and Kurie's long-term relationship, Phoebe was good friends with Lastation's CPU Candidate, Vivi, from long before the divide struck. Though Lastation's archers were far from the level of skill demonstrated by Loweese archers, they were sufficient enough to assist greatly in improving the mastery of Planeptune's own bowmen. Leading the program, rather surprisingly, was Vivi.

* * *

**Vivi**

**Commander class: Vanguard**

**Command: 1/8**

**Traits:**

**\- Bow Crackshot: 5 accuracy to all bow units under her command**

**\- CPU Candidate: If defeated in battle or assassinated, this character does not die - instead, they "respawn" at their faction's capital, losing 1 command star, and unable to move out of the capital for 3 turns (3 months). However, unless the capital is sieged and taken by the enemy while the CPU character is recovering, this character cannot truly be killed. Additionally, in the extremely rare case that her faction's CPU does die, this character takes their place as the faction leader.**

**_(Phoebe's description will come later)_**

* * *

Guns were devastating, sure, but Maria conceded that a bullet could not fly as far as an arrow. Nevertheless, the warrior monks who maintained the art of archery appreciated the help greatly. Phoebe's admiration of Vivi as part of the program made her ask her sister to help familiarize the Lastationians with gunpowder as a return favor. Maria agreed, of course, and the bond between the two side's CPUs and CPU Candidates deepened.

There was just one problem. Not one, but two, and possibly even three factions stood as barriers between Lastation and Planeptune. The ever-imposing Betha would be vanquished, of course, but then there was Koei further north-east, who were stronger, and Ubi west of there was poised to intervene if an opportune moment to seize the region presented itself.

Lastation had to act fast if they were to proceed with this plan. And there was no better time to act than the present.

So, with Kurie and Vivi accompanied by a handful of Lastation Sabre Bands, Desert Spears, and Desert Bows, they set off towards the Outer Falls.

As luck would have it, halfway through they ran into the rebel army, who without a commander did not get to move very far.

* * *

**Battle of the Koni-Outer Falls Border**

**April, Year 0**

* * *

**Allied alliance: Lastation**

**Commanders: Kurie (Duellist/Command: 3) Vivi (Vanguard/Command: 1)**

**Deployed: 1102**

* * *

**Enemy alliance: Lastation Rebels**

**Commanders: None**

**Deployed: 620**

* * *

If one had an advantage with something, it was common sense that they made full use of that advantage.

Sure, Kurie's army had some decent archers. But then the enemy could just charge if they felt like they lacked missile superiority. And there's no better tactic than to bait the enemy into charging into a wall of spears, sabres and shields.

So the plan was: The archers would stand in front of the formation, with the Spears and Sabre Bands behind them - Kurie and Vivi would stand between these two. They would march forward, the archers would move away from the formation and engage the enemy archers. With the enemy outmatched in both quality and quantity, this would lead to 2 outcomes: Either the rebels will realize their lack of missile superiority, or their archers will all rout. Both would cause the enemy melee infantry to charge, at which point Kurie's own melee infantry (herself included) would counter by doing the same.

So, on a hot day in the desert region between Koni and the Outer Falls, with information on the forthcoming arrival of the rebels, the Lastationians formed up. The convenient presence of a tall dune allowed the archers to get a height advantage, and gave the other troops something to hide behind.

"Kurie?"

The Lastation CPU turned to look at her sister. "What is it?"

"...Do you think we'll get through all this alive?" Vivi's head lowered after she finished her sentence.

"Of course we will, Vivi." Kurie smiled gently, placing a hand on Vivi's shoulder. "So will our people."

Soon the silhouettes of the Lastation rebels appeared on the horizon. Kurie and Vivi traded nods, then the latter went forward, pulling out her bow.

"Everyone, arrows up!" Vivi called to the Desert Bows, who raised the point of their arrows into the air. The CPU Candidate closed her eyes, and muttered, "Flame Wave." In moments, the arrows of Vivi and the Lastation archers ignited.

Magic was not a strange concept to Gamindustri's people. CPUs had long demonstrated magical abilities, and the humans who were able to perform such feats were called Makers. Magic could even be "taught" by a Maker or CPU to someone with the potential to wield magic, by transforming a small portion of their power to the pupil and then helping them nurture and grow that power naturally. All this allowed for the creation of an interesting bond between Vivi and Phoebe - both had taught each other how to use the elemental magic of their respective nations, with Vivi learning how to use fire and Phoebe gaining abilities of electric affinity.

Though the technique of igniting arrows by magic was practically redundant for Planeptune due to their now widespread use of guns, it was a boon to the other nations who remained with the bow and arrow.

Vivi scanned ahead. There was just 1 unit of Desert Bows to rival Lastation's 2. And with fire arrows, they would rout in just a volley or two. So she decided to direct the allied archers fire to the enemy missile troops, while she herself with an explosive arrow would blast the melee infantry.

She hoped it wouldn't actually have to come to 2 volleys of fire arrows. Lighting one arrow cost her practically nothing, but lighting two hundred was unsurprisingly very taxing.

The enemy archers quickly and gullibly stepped into the calculated range of the Lastation archers. Waiting a few seconds to allow her fellow bowmen and bowwomen to calibrate, Vivi breathed deeply, and yelled, "Fire!"

The hundreds of miniature fireballs that flew into the rebel Desert Bows' formation terrified them and almost immediately caused them to rout, with two-thirds of their forces remaining. Vivi's explosive arrow, meanwhile, landed in the middle of a unit of Spear Militia, eliminating over a dozen soldiers.

The enemy infantry turned back, saw their missile troops flee, figured out what had happened, and began running towards the Lastation infantry.

Hook, line, and sinker.

Kurie ran up next to Vivi. "How many more volleys can you fire until you have to run?" She asked.

"...I guess, judging from the distance and speed, just one more, if the archers fire freely rather than together."

"OK. Just remember to retreat once they get close. I'd rather have living archers."

Reigniting her own arrow, Vivi yelled, "Everyone! Free fire!"

Now the arrows came not in a cloud, but one by one, and rapidly. Though many shots were true, there were of course still a couple hundred enemies running towards her. A moment after firing her flaming arrow, the CPU Candidate gave her fellow archers the order to fall back.

Kurie saw this as her cue. Drawing her sword and dagger, holding the "CHARGE!"

Now the positions were switched, with the Sabre Bands and Desert Spears moving forward, and the Desert Bows backward. While the melee infantry from both sides charged to meet each other in battle, Kurie was stopped halfway by her younger sister's voice. "Kurie!"

The CPU halted, and sighed. She knew what Vivi wanted to say. "Look, Vi, I know you want to fight too, but I can't just risk losing my sister to a war-"

"But I can melee as well!" Vivi protested, indicating the sword sheathed on her left hip. "And these are just rebels! I can take them on!"

"I know, but..."

Kurie loved her sister more than anything else, save her nation. The desire to protect her had unfortunately given the CPU a sense of paranoia in putting her sister into battle. It was luck that Vivi was talented at inflicting damage from afar, but the girl known as Dark Sister still insisted on joining her in the fray. But she was so afraid of losing Vivi, that she couldn't allow it, even if victory was so painfully clear.

"No. You can't, it's too dangerous. Just fall back, and keep the archers safe. OK?"

"But-!"

"GO!"

Vivi grimaced, and reluctantly stepped back. Kurie turned around and saw that the battle had taken place in such a peculiar order of events that the rebels now had their backs facing her. Spotting her chance to do major damage, Kurie planted her dagger into the ground, and lept forward, dragging her sword among the ground, then slashed upwards with a wave of lightning bursting forth, cutting down several of the rebels and electrocuting many more.

It wasn't long before the rebels all routed. Most of the survivors were captured - the remainder never to be seen again.

* * *

**Decisive Victory**

**Battle of the Koni-Outer Falls Border**

**April, Year 0**

* * *

**Allied alliance**

**Lastation: **

**Deployed: 1102**

**Lost: 235**

* * *

**Enemy alliance**

**Lastation Rebels:**

**Deployed: 620**

**Lost: 358**

* * *

After a month within Koni to recuperate and replenish, Kurie's army marched again in **June. **Their destination: the Outer Falls, to defeat the Betha. Their journey there - and the ensuing battle - were relatively uneventful, if not for one particular incident during the Battle of the Outer Falls...

**Battle of the Outer Falls**

**July, Year 0**

* * *

**Allied alliance: Lastation**

**Commanders: ****Kurie (Duellist/Command: 3) Vivi (Vanguard/Command: 1)**

**Deployed: 1472**

* * *

**Enemy alliance: Betha**

**Commanders: Toha (General/Command: 2)**

**Deployed: 1050**

* * *

Almost too focused on firing at the enemy units, Vivi narrowly spotted and dodged an incoming attack from the sword-and-board-wielding Tiha, commander of Betha's last stand. Nearly tripping over, Vivi tried to draw her sword as Toha closed in, preparing to assault her, before a blade of lightning struck the malicious woman off the CPU Candidate.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Kurie screeched as she slashed Toha and pushed the general backwards. She stood protectively in front of her younger sister, her eyes filled with fury.

"I was going to take it easy on you since you're not worth my time, but NOW YOU'VE GONE AND DONE IT, YOU BITCH!" A pillar of light began to envelop the CPU, signalling HDD. "PREPARE TO DIE!"

Vivi had never seen her sister so angry on her behalf.

Kurie's hair, normally black and tied into a long ponytail, turned white and released itself, now flowing freely from Dark Heart's hair. Her attire changed from a gray-and-orange tank top with sleeves, gray skirt and leggings to a black CPU-trademark bodysuit with a short, plain black skirt and leggings. Kurie's outfit wasn't the only thing that changed - her longsword seemed to almost double in size. So did her form: whereas Kurie held her longsword right-handed in front of her and her dagger gripped backwards positioned across her right arm, akin to the aforementioned watchers she derived her fighting style from, Dark Heart held her dagger in an orthodox grip and, whenever she wasn't swinging it around, rested her now-greatsword on her right shoulder. It's unclear whether this is to support the sword's weight, or simply to look cool.

Nevertheless, Dark Heart put her fury to good use as she slammed her greatsword on Toha, who barely managed to backstep the sword itself but failed to evade the resulting blast of electricity. The CPU showed no signs of letting up, immediately advancing on the emergent faction leader as she recovered, the latter beginning to falter before the might of Lastation's leader.

The duel did not last very long. After a horizontal slash launched Toha's shield away, Dark Heart drove her greatsword through her opponent's chest, putting an end to the Betha leader - and the battle that took place around them. The enemy soldiers fled in masses at the revelation that their leader was dead.

Reverting from HDD, Kurie breathed heavily as she turned around, only to be met with a bear hug from her sister Vivi.

No words were exchanged. None were necessary. Just the cheers of the Lastation soldiers around them, and the quiet sobbing of Vivi as she leaned into her sister's shoulder. Gently caressing the CPU Candidate's head, Kurie didn't notice the tear streaming down her own cheek as well.

Even if she rarely ever showed it, even if her personality towards anyone, particularly her sister, was described as "tsundere", Kurie still loved her younger sister more than anything else in Gamindustri.

* * *

**Decisive Victory**

**Battle of the Outer Falls**

**July, Year 0**

* * *

**Allied alliance**

**Lastation:**

**Deployed: 1472**

**Lost: 436**

* * *

**Enemy alliance**

**Betha:**

**Deployed: 1050**

**Lost: 686**

* * *

With the Betha military crushed, Kurie was free to march onward towards the Outer Falls. It turned out to be all that remained of the Betha faction as well - Koei's grip on the Inner Falls was steadfast, and by stroke of luck they were at war with Ubi, a war that Betha had not barged in on. So Kurie decided to hold her forces, build up her nation's infrastructure and consolidate their position before heading further up north.

More importantly, however, was that she needed to tie up a loose end in the relationship between her and Vivi. The embrace that the CPU Candidate had given her at the end of the Battle of the Outer Falls was no mere gesture of affection. It was to show that Vivi saw through her sister's attempts to shield her, to stop her from doing anything she deemed "rash". It meant that Vivi knew how protective Kurie was of her.

The CPU sighed. That night she would have a talk with her sister. Vivi, though appreciative of her sister's shielding her, felt a bit...restrained. Perhaps Kurie had been overprotective. Or maybe Vivi wanted to prove herself.

...

So why was she hesitating?

Sitting on her bed, in her own room, Kurie thought over and over againt, about what she could say to Vivi, how her younger sister would react, and how the result would affect them both. She wrestled with the thought that maybe she was overprotecting her younger sister. Was it justified? Was she just so scared of losing her younger sister, even if she was a CPU Candidate and therefore somewhat immortal?

Maybe she was overthinking things.

There was a knock on the door. Kurie lifted her head up.

"Hello?" A familiar voice sounded out from the other side. "Um...it's me, Vivi."

Surprised, Kurie opened the door herself. "Vi? What's wrong?"

"No, nothing...I, um, just wanted to talk to you. The CPU Candidate replied meekly.

Kurie was about to ask "About what?", but she felt that it would be better to let the conversation flow naturally, so she simply asked Vivi to sit down while she went off to make some tea - a recipe for a drink learned through her relationship with Maria.

The Lastation sisters sat and sipped their tea in silence for a few moements. Then Kurie spoke up. "Vivi, do you feel...like you're being held back?"

The CPU Candidate smiled faintly. "You know me so well. Yes, it's like..." Her face turned sad. She seemed reluctant to keep talking. "...like I'm not being appreciated."

She leaned forward. "Kurie, I can fight too. As in the up-close-and-personal kind of fighting. Remember when that Betha commander charged me? I...could have held her off."

Vivi didn't sound very confident saying that last part. This didn't go unnoticed by the CPU. "I had to make sure." Kurie said. "You were a good archer, a great CPU Candidate, and the best sister I could ask for, but...I wasn't sure you could take her on." She sighed. "I didn't want to lose you."

Vivi remained silent for a short while. "I understand. But...won't you let me show you what I can do? I can do more than just launch arrows, you know!"

Kurie closed her eyes in thought, faintly smiling. They had reached agreement, then. "OK. But please don't do anything dangerous. I don't really like having to carry my commanders, and if you want to fight more freely you have to show me that you don't have to rely on me anymore."

"Thank you, Kurie!" Vivi beamed and stood up. "I won't disappoint you!"

"Of course you wouldn't."

The sisters embraced each other affectionately. "Oh, and one more thing..." Kurie asked Vivi as the latter made to leave. "Did you actually come here fully out of your own free will?"

"I-I did!" Vivi replied a bit too quickly. "...OK, maybe Kei encouraged me a little bit."

Ah, of course, Kei Jinguji. The former businesswoman understood both sisters well. She had always been by Kurie's side, and did her job as Lastation's Oracle as excellently as she did as a master trader.

_"So be it." _Kurie thought. _"If these are the people who stand with Lastation to help us weather the coming sandstorm, then I could ask for nothing better."_

* * *

**Vivi's command has increased to 2!**

* * *

**Changelog:**

**20/9/2019: Redid the nations' advantages (and disadvantages), and added an intro.**

* * *

**Whew! That's Planeptune and Lastation for you readers. Next chapter we explore Leanbox and Lowee!**

**Before I sign off there are a LOT of things I should note, so stick with me. Now even though I did not make this a crossover with the Total War series, this story is called a Total War novelization for very good reason. As a way to simplify or streamline the many aspects of the Great Console War, I used a lot of mechanics from Total War. The whole battle analysis thing, with the number of soldiers and type of victory/defeat that represented the result of the battle, was one of them. Below I'll explain a few that are mentioned in this chapter:**

**\- Agents: See that bonus to the success chance of "moderators"? OK, the agents of Gigadimension Neptunia: Total War work in a way very similar to R-P-S, or in other words, I'd say their closest comparisons are the agents of TW: Shogun 2. There will be 3 types of agents: The moderator I mentioned is akin to the metsuke. The Spy is similar to a ninja, and the Journalist resembles a Monk. The agent system won't actually make its debut until introductions are over with, but the first agent you'll see will be a very familiar face indeed...**

**\- Commander Classes: You've might have noted that Maria, Kurie and Vivi were shown to have classes, like General and Duellist. This one I took from the newly released Three Kingdoms, with a little bit of Warhammer mixed in. You've got the all-around Generals, the anti-commander Duellists, the anti-unit-but-still-decent-against-commanders Vanguards, and the anti-unit-who-sits-in-the-back Mages.**

**\- Commander Traits: Actually, ignore most of them. I put them there to emphasize their strengths in battle, but otherwise they're worth nothing more than a mention.**

**Stay tuned, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


End file.
